Events

Reading and book launch in the reading room of The House of Collections at Hverfisgata.

27th of April, 4 – 6 PM

Crossroads – An Anthology of Art-Inspired writing

The National Gallery of Iceland and Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature in collaboration with the Reykjavík International Literary Festival invite you for a reading and a launch event for the book Crossroads – An Anthology of Art-Inspired writing where fifteen writers and poets were invited to choose one work in the exhibition that inspires them. And, just as the works of art called out to those selected artists, their writings will in turn lead us observers into the works, and connect us with the art, and at the same time with the creative imagination of the writers, in new and myriad ways.

The authors who contributed to the book are: Anne Carson, Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, Bergþóra Snæbjörnsdóttir, Brynjólfur Þorsteinsson, Hallgrímur Helgason, Jón Kalman Stefánsson, Karólína Rós, Kristín Ómarsdóttir, Maó Alheimsdóttir, Margrét Bjarnadóttir, María Elísabet Bragadóttir, Ragna Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Helgi Ólafsson, Ragnheiður Harpa Leifsdóttir and Sjón

Conversation with the artist Christian Marclay
Conversation with artist Christian Marclay in the reading room of the Museum at Hverfisgata, in connection with the exhibition Christian Marclay The Clock at the National Gallery of Iceland.
The talk will be held in English.

The renowned masterwork The Clock (2010) will be shown at the National Gallery at Fríkirkjuvegur from May 2nd to June 22nd 2025. This is an epic, 24-hour single channel video with sound. Winner of the Golden Lion Award at the 2011 Venice Biennale and widely acclaimed as one of the most significant works of art of the 21st century, The Clock is both a profound meditation about time and an homage to the history of cinema. 

Artist led tour – Intimacies of the Everyday

Artist led tour with Orri Jónsson and Agnieszka Sosnowska through the group exhibition Intimacies of the Everyday. The exhibition features more than 60 photographs by renowned international contemporary artists, including Agnieszka Sosnowska, Joakim Eskildsen, Niall McDiarmid, Orri Jónsson, and Sally Mann. Curated by Pari Stave, head curator for exhibitions at the National Gallery of Iceland, the works in Intimacies of the Everyday were selected from discrete series within each artist’s practice and represent decades-long and ongoing preoccupations with photographing the people and places closest to home. The exhibition is organized around the unifying idea that certain images can only be achieved by close, attentive, and sustained observation.

The Flying Bird
May 10th and 24th, 14:00–16:00
We explore birds in the exhibition Resistance; white ravens, the famous lapwing, and the swans with long necks, and paint our own beautiful birds that will fly with us into the summer. The bird workshop on May 24th is the last workshop of the winter season in the kids' club, but a new program will be released in the fall.

Curator led tour – The Mystery of the Lumpfish and Other Stories of Fakes and Forgeries

Curator Dagný Heiðdal and conservator Ólafur Ingi Jónsson welcome guests to the exhibition The Mystery of the Lumpfish and Other Stories of Fakes and Forgeries. The exhibition examines fakes and forgeries that have come to light based on recent research. It traces how experts in the museum field authenticate objects in the collections that are under their care – a process that requires expertise in conservation science, art history, and connoisseurship.

What Time Is It?
May 17th, 14:00–16:00
After visiting the exhibition The Clock, we reflect on time and create our own clocks that we can set to the time that works best for each person. Large and small clocks, alarm clocks, watches, mantel clocks that are new and old, funny, decorative, or simple.

Sigríður Regína Sigurþórsdóttir, an expert in time-based media, will discuss the artwork The Clock and the artistic career of Christian Marclay. The lecture will also cover time-based media and its development in art history.
The event will be held in the museum’s new educational space.
Guests will also have access to the exhibition.

The Flying Bird
May 10th and 24th, 14:00–16:00
We explore birds in the exhibition Resistance; white ravens, the famous lapwing, and the swans with long necks, and paint our own beautiful birds that will fly with us into the summer. The bird workshop on May 24th is the last workshop of the winter season in the kids' club, but a new program will be released in the fall.